Opioids Turning Homeless’ Day Into Night

Can activists explain how the street living they seem to ennoble is a necessary or even a good thing as we are now witnessing “a surge in deaths among those who are homeless,” especially due to opioid overdosing?

As the WSJ reports, “new data also show overall deaths among those without homes climbed markedly during pandemic.” True, the entire nation is experiencing a drug-overdose crisis, yet the surge in drug-related deaths among those who are homeless in NYC, e.g., saw 648 deaths among people without housing in 2022, the highest figure since 2006. Meanwhile, University of Chicago researchers just published the results of their having tracked 140K homeless between ages 18-54 from 2010 thru March 2022 & found their mortality rate is FOUR TIMES that of those in the same age range but with a roof over their heads. The Covid pandemic, the data shows, worsened the recent numbers. But, it’s also suggested that an equal or greater villain in the heightened mortality rate was the flooding of our communities with opioids.

As the paper notes, “health officials [e.g., in NY & SF] are trying to lower the risk of fentanyl overdoes for those who are homeless through steps such as widespread distribution of the overdose reversal drug naloxone.” But, the question has to be asked yet again, to what extent if any do such band-aid, after-the-fact measures “help” the homeless live another day only to die another night? As a matter of policy, then, maybe recommit to working the real, underlying problems?

Davd Soul